Makurdi flood victims beg government for resettlement

The displaced victims of the recent flood disaster in Makurdi, the Benue capital, have appealed to the state government to intervene and resettle them on safe grounds.
More than 2,000 houses were destroyed by the floods in Wurukum, Wadata and Gyado Villa areas of Makurdi following the release of water from Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroon.
The flood destroyed property worth millions of naira along the Benue valley, and the victims, who lost their valuables have  appealed to the state government for assistance.

A victim, Mr James Tule, said although the government provided early warning systems to alert them about the floods, it did not provide alternative resettlement centres for the victims.
Tule said, “Government needed to have also provided alternative accommodation for those living in flood prone areas.
“It is not enough to give warning signals, what we expected was for the government to source for alternative accommodation for us.”
Others lamented their huge losses, and called on the government to come to their aid by resettling them elsewhere, adding that they had alternative places for relocation.
Some of the victims said they ferried their goods on canoe to safety, but regretted that they paid exorbitant prices for secure safety.
Another victim, Abua Benjamin, said he paid as much as N5,000 for a canoe ride to ferry his belongings to safety, adding that those, who could not afford the fare had to wade through the floods to safety.
Contacted, the Executive Secretary, Benue Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr Adikpo Agbatse, blamed the residents for ignoring the early warning on the flood.
He, however, gave the assurance that the agency would collaborate with NEMA to provide relief for the affected communities.
Gov. Gabriel Suswam had promised that the government would construct drainage canals to check future flooding of the areas, and appealed to the people to avoid blocking the drainage. (NAN)

Browse More Articles

Tweet

Written by Unknown

We are Creative Blogger Theme Wavers which provides user friendly, effective and easy to use themes. Each support has free and providing HD support screen casting.